Who are the richest black people on the planet? Despite the many strides black people have made around the world, breaking down the race barrier in hundreds of different industries, unfortunately they still make up a very small percentage of the richest people in the world. In fact, out of the top 1600 wealthiest billionaires alive today, only 11 are black. And of those 11, only two are from the US. Several of the richest black people earned their wealth by dominating a natural resource like oil or sugar and one individual made her money by dominating the American television landscape.

The good news is that many young black people, especially in the United States, are climbing the wealth ladder at a faster pace than ever before. It should also be noted that the richest person of all time, inflation adjusted, was black. King Mansa Musa I ruled the Malian empire from 1280-1337 in what would be modern day Ghana, Timbuktu and Mali. During his life, Mansa Musa controlled more than half the world's supply of salt and gold. He built mosques and palaces that still exist today. Mansa Musa's wealth was worth the modern equivalent of $400 BILLION! John D. Rockefeller is the second richest person in history with a 2014 equivalent net worth of $340 billion. But let's get back on the topic of the richest black people on the planet today. Click the image below to view the seven richest black people alive, we've also included a few bonus celebrities who are well on their way to billionaire status…

Brian launched CelebrityNetWorth in October 2008 after noticing a distinct lack of results for various celebrity finance web searches. He previously spent seven years as the Managing Editor of a large digital entertainment portal. Brian's favorite rags to riches billionaire is Kirk Kerkorian.